Caroline Kennedy, Yoko Ono Speak Out Against Japan's Dolphin Cull in Taiji Cove
The US Ambassador to Japan and Yoko Ono, the wife of legendary Beatles frontman John Lennon, have added their names to the growing list of high-profile opposition to Japan's annual dolphin cull in the rural town of Taiji. Friday, Ambassador Caroline Kennedy said in a tweet that the US government opposed the annual "drive hunt" and that she is concerned about the issue.
"Deeply concerned by inhumaneness of drive hunt dolphin killing," Kennedy wrote. "USG opposes drive hunt fisheries." A drive hunt refers to the practice of corralling dolphins into a cove or otherwise inescapable area, where they can be trapped or killed. Japan's whaling and dolphin-hunting programs have long been a controversial subject, and the nation frequently faces criticism for the practice. Japan, however, claims that hunting marine mammals is part of its cultural heritage. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters Monday that the Taiji dolphin cull was done in accordance with Japanese laws. "Dolphin fishing is a form of traditional fishing in our country," he said, according to The Associate Press, which reported he was responding to a question about Kennedy's criticism. "We will explain Japan's position to the American side."
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Source: Nature World News
Photo Credit: via Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
